Richard Prince. Adult Comedy Action Drama

Best known for his "joke paintings"?Henny Youngmanesque jokes painted on monochrome canvases?and iconographic images of biker chicks and Marlboro men "rephotographed" from magazine ads, Prince has produced a body of art that works best in accumulation. It would be hard to appreciate one joke painting more than another or to delineate the artist's development through his "girlfriends" series. Yet, taken as a whole, these disparate works form a complex reflection of contemporary society, its media cultures, and the prejudices of the art world itself. Because of the serious questions he raises, the work also lends itself to a tedious reductionist analysis that too often dulls the emotion and ignores the inherent humor of the pieces. This book offers the best of all views into Prince's world: 235 reproductions selected by Prince?both his own pieces and images from magazines?are served up free of any interpretation. Even the dustjacket merely lists titles. While those unfamiliar with Prince may need some encouragement to spend a day contemplating these often apparently conventional images, they will be rewarded. — F.to: 20x29,5; pagg. 240; COL; rileg. rigida con sovracoperta. Editore: Scalo, Zürich, 1995.